Why would anyone spend millions on Greenbelt land that can't be built on?
Six developers did since 2018 — now, their land is set to be taken out of the Greenbelt.
Lucky bet? Or did they know?
A ✨Starwhal✨ investigation by me, and
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Emma McIntosh
@EmmaMci
Ontario environment reporter , Queen's Park press gallery treasurer. Past lives out west + in newspapers. Lake swimmer, bad climber. Opinions mine!
Emma McIntosh’s Tweets
the sooner journalism wakes up to the fact that having empathy and recognizing the humanity in people's stories is not bias or advocacy journalism, the better off the industry as a whole will be
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On now! thenarwhal.ca/steven-guilbea
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Couldn’t join our Ontario bureau’s live event yesterday? Listen to @EmmaMci break down new Greenbelt developments on-air in a few minutes. #onpoli iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1010/
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Oh, also, the Premier said people never talk about how the Liberals changed the Greenbelt 17 times, moves that amounted to 370 acres of loss to the protected area. I'd like to assure the Premier we haven't forgotten! We talked about it at our event last night, actually.
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Updated this story with Premier Ford's comments today: he's arguing the Greenbelt is provincial jurisdiction.
It is, but — courts have affirmed that climate issues are federal jurisdiction, and Greenbelt is a climate issue. So this could get interesting!
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This is Ford's response to reporting from The Narwhal yesterday:
thenarwhal.ca/steven-guilbea
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NEW: Premier Doug Ford says he’s “disappointed” to hear the Federal environment say he could intervene in any Greenbelt development.
“This is our jurisdiction.”
#onpoli
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ICYMI, the federal government is looking at ways it could intervene on Greenbelt development. And if they follow through, that could mean a major roadblock for Doug Ford’s plans to build 50,000 homes there:
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new twist in the Greenbelt saga alert: @s_guilbeault told me this morning that he’s looking at ways the federal government could intervene on development proposed for Greenbelt land that’s been opened up by the Ontario government.
#onpoli #cdnpoli
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As it turns out, we talked about the Greenbelt a lot 👀
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new twist in the Greenbelt saga alert: @s_guilbeault told me this morning that he’s looking at ways the federal government could intervene on development proposed for Greenbelt land that’s been opened up by the Ontario government.
#onpoli #cdnpoli
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Buuuuut we’ll be breaking down the implications and answering your questions at this event tonight! Registration is full, but if you missed out, no worries — watch for a livestream on ’s Facebook. And email us your qs!
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The last few months have been an endless rollercoaster of non-stop news in Ontario — and @EmmaMci, @fatimabsyed and @balkissoon are here to help you make sense of it all at a free online event this Thursday at 6 p.m. EST.
Spaces are limited, register now! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist
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What does that mean? Nothing yet — the federal mechanisms Guilbeault mentioned to me today as possibilities would have to be based on individual projects. And we just don’t have details yet on what might be built on those ex-Greenbelt lands
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Breaking from :
The federal government “will be looking at the potential use of federal tools" to stop development projects in the Greenbelt. said he has "a legislative obligation to intervene" if species at risk are harmed
thenarwhal.ca/steven-guilbea #onpoli
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The webinar is now full, but not to worry!! We’re livestreaming this on Facebook, too, and we’ll post a recording afterwards.
You can also keep emailing us your questions if you can’t send em at the registration link!
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The last few months have been an endless rollercoaster of non-stop news in Ontario — and @EmmaMci, @fatimabsyed and @balkissoon are here to help you make sense of it all at a free online event this Thursday at 6 p.m. EST.
Spaces are limited, register now! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist
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Deleted an earlier tweet with details on the three conservation projects — I’m told there was a copy error in the original release. Here’s the updated version of that:
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That bit related to Rouge National Urban Park — that’s our Greenbelt tie-in!
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Federal Environment Minister is in Toronto, making an announcement about fed investment of $8 million that will go towards protecting three natural spaces in Ontario.
But y’all already know I’m here to talk about the Greenbelt 👀
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Postmedia hides behind the “news is a hard business, man” line, but many of Canada’s independent papers have managed to survive/thrive without resorting to the wholesale destruction of their own business that Postmedia is engaging in
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A single company owns about two-thirds of Canada’s major daily newspapers, including the only titles in several provinces, and has been systematically gutting them for a decade while paying out bonuses to its executives and receiving government handouts
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We eagerly await all your Greenbelt/Bill 23/etc questions!! Sign up below, see ya tomorrow night!
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The last few months have been an endless rollercoaster of non-stop news in Ontario — and @EmmaMci, @fatimabsyed and @balkissoon are here to help you make sense of it all at a free online event this Thursday at 6 p.m. EST.
Spaces are limited, register now! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist
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Spotted in the women's bathroom at #ROMA2023, a rural municipalities conference where several #onpoli ministers are meeting with local leaders for the first time since the housing plan and Greenbelt plan and conservation authorities cuts were announced.
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Excerpt from a Jan 19, 2019 Toronto Star article, referencing Hazel McCallion, who was recently appointed as chair of the Greenbelt Council.
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This is a really cool opportunity to work with some of the best people in Canadian media, on innovative journalism that matters. Apply!!!
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ANNOUNCING Applications for the 2023 Local Journalism Fellowship are now open! This is a paid 13-week opportunity for emerging journalists from communities underrepresented in Canadian media. No formal training required. thelocal.to/the-local-jourShow this thread
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JMM has truly done the lord’s work here, outlining what the law says about what will happen next with the various Greenbelt investigations underway!
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New from me at TVO: what the investigations announced this week do, and don't, mean for the Ford government. tvo.org/article/what-t
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Hazel said the timing of her letter in support of the Ford govt's Greenbelt plans had nothing to do with the fact 2 provincial watchdog agencies were announcing their investigations on the same day.
“It was just time to weigh in publicly on this important matter," she said.
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The Greenbelt Council used to be a key defender of the protected lands. Under Hazel McCallion, that is no longer the case, advocates say #onpoli @TorontoStar thestar.com/news/gta/2023/
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New from me: 1 in 10 positions in the Toronto public service are unfilled. City budget documents show staff shortages across multiple divisions risk undermining everything from swimming lessons to building permits, from cybersecurity to public housing.
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Got questions about development, the Greenbelt and the environment in Ontario? Send em in, sign up for our online event, and and I will answer them live next Thursday evening!
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On Jan. 26, @fatimabsyed, @EmmaMci and @balkissoon will be diving into all things Greenbelt (or, as we call it, the OG) and beyond. Send us your Qs about the OG — register now! #onpoli us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist
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Mississauga’s “queen of sprawl,” now the head of Ontario’s Greenbelt Council, says the Ford government’s decision to carve up the protected area she’s charged with stewarding was “brave”
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We’re answering your Greenbelt/Bill 23/etc questions next week!!! Sign up, tell us what you wanna know
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On Jan. 26, @fatimabsyed, @EmmaMci and @balkissoon will be diving into all things Greenbelt (or, as we call it, the OG) and beyond. Send us your Qs about the OG — register now! #onpoli us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist
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It is truly wild to compare what Alberta politicans are saying about just transition, and what industry is saying
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Also why do all the lane lines here disappear when it rains. It rains a lot, surely that is a problem? In the Seattle area, most places use reflective paint and that seemed like a nonissue?
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Has been extremely great to do big grocery runs and get to nature that’s hard to reach by TTC. But everything else is awful by car! It’s slower than biking/subway, intersections seem designed for max frustration, and people feel like they have to drive like maniacs to move at all
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So I don’t normally have a car at my disposal in Toronto, but this week I do, and oh my god why does anyone here willingly do this on a daily basis
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Funnily enough, the only photo I have of the newsroom is this iconic moment captured by . We never did find out which intern was getting kicked off the island, did we? Cc , , &
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Some mems. Miss the sneaky and grammatically incorrect gate that led to the bluff. And the views. Always loved the idea of a newspaper keeping watch over the city from atop a hill. It was darn annoying to get to without a car, but I loved it anyway.
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*we'll also be
yikes, breaking news brain
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Story here:
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Today, Ontario's auditor general and integrity commissioner announced investigations into the opening of Greenbelt land.
We break it down here — and we're also be tracking the fallout of the Greenbelt cuts/Bill 23/etc! By me, @fatimabsyed + @balkissoon
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-greenb
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Starwhal gets action! More fallout from and 's Greenbelt investigation: Ontario's auditor general and it's integrity commissioner are looking into the opening of land to development + the sales that happened riiiiiight before
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Today, Ontario's auditor general and integrity commissioner announced investigations into the opening of Greenbelt land.
We break it down here — and we're also be tracking the fallout of the Greenbelt cuts/Bill 23/etc! By me, +
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